Completed projects: Research Council of Norway projects

Calibrating the carbon climate feedback in models through the observed seasonal cycle

06/2008 - 01/2013

RCN

We will use observations of carbon cycle relevant input variables (forcings) and output variables (carbon cycle tracers) to assess the performance of state-of-the-art carbon cycle component models. These are the models of the marine and terrestrial carbon cycle to be used in the emerging Norwegian coupled Earth system modelling scenarios. We will use in particular the seasonal cycle signal and inter-annual variability to calibrate the sensitivity of the component models. In addition, we will provide a strategy for following up the carbon cycle climate feedback through future observing systems. (text: RCN)

Decadal trends in global ocean pH: From data and methods to analysis and understanding

03/2011 - 11/2014

RCN

DECApH is a basic science research project seeking to increase our understanding of the decadal trends in ocean pH and in this regard DECApH aims to: 1) Provide a quantification of the magnitude and uncertainty of decadal pH change on a global scale. 2) Describe the spatial variability in these decadal trends in the surface and deep ocean. 3) Gain an improved understanding of how global ocean pH has changed in the past decades in response to increasing CO₂ levels in both the atmosphere and ocean. (text: Siv Kari Lauvset, UiB)

An integrated earth system approach to explore natural variability and climate sensitivity

01/2011 - 06/2014

RCN

http://folk.uib.no/ngfhd/EarthClim/

EARTHCLIM aims at improving, implementing and verifying climate processes in the Norwegian community Earth System Model (ESM) NorESM, thereby contributing to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scheduled for the years 2013/2014. Furthermore, EARTHCLIM will quantify climate sensitivity and climate feedback mechanisms based on but not limited to NorESM with a special focus on carbon cycle feedbacks.

Effects of North Atlantic variability on the Barents Sea ecosystem

01/2002 - 04/2007

RCN

To understand and quantify the impacts of Arctic climate variability on trophic transfer and ecosystem structure of the Barents Sea in order to improve the prediction of growth and recruitment on key fish species.(text: http://ecobe.imr.no/)

Earth system modelling of climate Variations in the Anthropocene (Researcherproject - NORKLIMA)

2014-2018

RCN

EVA

Virtual exhibit

To provide a cutting-edge version of the Norwegian Earth system modelNorESM for global climate assessments (CMIP6, IPCC AR6) includingprognostic climate experiments and analyses of key importance for thenational and international community.

Climate of Norway and the Arctic in the 21st century

01/2007 - 01/2012

RCN

NORCLIM will address key climate processes in the atmosphere, in the cryosphere and in the ocean to identify and understand natural climate fluctuations in Norway and the Arctic. This will help to improve our understanding of physical processes involved in climate fluctuations and the sensitivity of the climate system to external forcings, which can be transferred to climate models. In addition, NORCLIM aims at establishing a common climate model system in Norway as well as extending the unified model system to biogeochemical cycles and preparing for an Earth System Model (ESM) that will help to address key biogeochemical feedback processes. 

Polarbuoy - Direct monitoring of the climate situation in the Norwegian Sea

2010 - 2013

RCN

The project Polarbuoy is sending data from the ocean and atmosphere in real time via satellite transmission from an operational ocean monitoring buoy. The buoy is located near station M in the Norwegian Sea, and data will be freely available to both researchers and other interested parties. (text: Polarbuoy website) 

Southern Ocean variability - contemporary to paleo trends

2012 - 2013

RCN

Southern Ocean intermediate waters are sensitive responders to climate changes in polar regions and, as a consequence, are undergoing rapid changes. Because these intermediate waters dominate upper ocean ventilation they have the ability to transfer these polar changes throughout the ocean; potentially impacting global nutrient cycling and productivity, overturning circulation, atmospheric CO₂ uptake, and global modes of climate variability. Thus, assessing the origin and consequences of intermediate ocean variability is essential for detecting and predicting global climate-ocean-ecosystem changes. The main objective of SO-VAR is to understand and quantify natural variability in Southern Ocean mode and intermediate water ventilation, its driving processes, and its potential impacts (including for atmospheric CO₂, global ocean oxygenation, productivity, and circulation).  SO-VAR will use models together with oceanographic and proxy data to define, and understand the origin of, contemporary and long-term natural variability in intermediate ocean ventilation. Using proxy reconstructions SO-VAR will provide the first ever sub-decadally resolved characterization of physical and chemical property variability in Southeast Pacific Antarctic Intermediate Water spanning the last millennium. SO-VAR will use corrected modern oceanographic tracer fields to quantify these natural variations, and relate proxy data fields to modern (and modeled) ocean processes. The oceanographic and calibrated proxy data fields will be used to validate ocean models which, in turn, will be used to constrain contemporary variability and transport of biogeochemical signals within Southern Ocean mode and intermediate water. Through this model-data-proxy approach SO-VAR will contextualize paleo-contemporary trends in intermediate ocean ventilation; providing constraints on the long term behavior of intermediate ocean ventilation and its sensitivity to, and role in, global changes. (text: Ulysses S. Ninnemann)

ORGANIC

Overturning circulation and its implications for global carbon cycle in coupled models

01/2015 - 12/2018

RCN

ORGANIC will study the physical and biogeochemical interactions in the climate system using state-of-the-art model system. The project will enhance our knowledge in climate variability simulated by the NorESM model and identify uncertainty that comes with its future projections. The focus is to elucidate the linkage between large scale overturning circulation with the biogeochemical cycling in the ocean. This link is necessary since hydrography tracers such as temperature and salinity do not give us a comprehensive overview on the overturning circulation. On the other hand, biogeochemical tracers such as nutrient and CFCs are closely tied to the ocean circulation and can be used as indicators for patterns and ventilation rates of the ocean. Due to the non linear interactions between climate and ocean carbon cycle, it is vital for an Earth system model to accurately simulate the relevant former and latter processes individually as well as interactively in order for it to produce a sound future climate projections. The outcome of ORGANIC will be highly relevant for both global and regional climate studies, particularly in regions where the ocean ventilation will be perturbed by anthropogenic forcing. The proposed interdisciplinary work will involve scientists from natural, mathematical and computational scientists. The study utilizes the nationally developed Norwegian Earth system model and observational sets from contemporary and paleo periods. The methods that will be developed throughout the project, the Matrix Free Newton Krylov, will provide novel and efficient approach to increase our understanding in the sophisticated interactions between the physical and biogeochemical processes in the climate system. (text: ORGANIC project; coordinator J. Tjiputra)

Subpolar North Atlantic Climate States

01/2014 - 12/2016

RCN

SNACS will take a multidisciplinary approach and use data from high resolution sedimentary archives, ocean surveys and state of the art Earth System Models (ESMs) to unravel the subpolar North Atlantic variability of past times, its expected future behaviour and the feedback on the carbon cycle. (text: SNACS project description)

Subsurface CO₂ storage - critical elements and superior strategy

RCN

Project investigating sub-seabed CO2 storage.

Ventilation age and remineralisation rates in polar and sub-polar regions as an indicator for climate change

01/2014 - 01/2018

RCN

The project aims to increase our understanding of the link between the physical processes and the oceanic carbon cycle and how this link is altered by human-induced climate change. One of the main objectives is to assess the strength and variability of the physical and the biogeochemical processes that control the oceanic carbon cycle in the northern high latitudes. The project will use a combination of field data and simulations from a state-of-the-art Norwegian Earth system model (NorESM). The latter will make it possible to test different assumptions and relationships that will help us understand the complex links that exist between ocean, climate and carbon cycle in northern high latitudes, but also serve as an innovative validation for the model performance and benchmark for future improvements. (text: Emil Jeansson, VENTILATE project summary)